


The Big One

by Maizzy



Series: DA Ficswap Oneshots [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: ABELLAN, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Olé! Toro!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-04 10:24:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4133982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maizzy/pseuds/Maizzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In retrospect, there were three things Shiral would’ve done differently:<br/>1) She would not have brought Varric - his laughter echoing around the dusty canyon was not improving the situation in the slightest.<br/>2) She would not have gotten onto the beast’s back. That was just a general mistake all around. </p><p>The last was probably the most important change she would’ve made:<br/>3) She really should have insisted that Abelas fully strip.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Big One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KestrelShrike](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KestrelShrike/gifts).



> This is a fic for the DA Fic Swap on tumblr!  
> Featuring [KestrelShrike's](http://archiveofourown.org/users/KestrelShrike/pseuds/KestrelShrike) Inquisitor Shiral Lavellan :D

Abelas’ eyebrows pulled down into a frown as he examined the statue set before him. He said nothing, but Shiral was learning to read his silences more and more. Though, this one would be clear enough even if she was meeting him for the first time. This particular silence radiated disapproval. Disapproval which was only amplified as the clouds parted and a bolt of sunshine jabbed down onto the polished sheen of her most recent acquisition - causing Abelas not only to frown, but to also squint in discomfort from the harsh glare of the radiantly gold nug.

“Thoughts?” She asked, hoping to nudge him into speech while trying to hide her amusement. 

Squinting and frowning, he swiveled his gaze to her. 

“You say this is a gift?”

“Yes, from Varric.”

Her voice almost trembled as she fought not to laugh. 

Abelas was silent a few moments more before he said, “And you like this… gift?”

She turned to study the nug statue. It was about three feet long and well… it was certainly something to see. The fact that Varric had picked up on her desire to know what was inside the pretentious Orlesian shopkeeper’s “mystery box” was touching. Especially because, at the time, she had given the “merchant” (could one really be called a merchant if they never sold anything?) nothing more than a withering stare and a handful of snarky words when he had informed her that “One did not simply get to know what was inside the box”. As it turned out, what was inside the box was ridiculous… and marvelous. It was also a gift that kept on giving as, after one of the Inquisition’s researchers had examined it, they informed her that there was a legend about a golden nug statue and a great mythical beast loyal to whoever bested it. 

That was how she, Abelas, Varric and Cassandra had come to be standing out in the Western Approach with nothing more to do then wait and examine the gaudy thing. 

Shiral felt a bit guilty taking this break from her Inquisitorial duties, but, she reasoned, everyone deserved a moment’s rest time to time. Plus, if she was being completely honest, she was worried about Abelas and his determined grimness in the face of this world that was all new to him. If a silly quest involving a giant nug statue and an unknown mythical creature would bring one of his small smiles out of hiding, then it was worth the momentary distraction from her duty. 

“Yes,” she pronounced, putting her hands on her hips, “I like this gift very much.”

He said nothing more, but finally managed to rip his gaze from the thing. As they were in the middle of the desert, there was not much of anything else for him to look at besides the nug… and her. 

Shiral hoped the blush she felt rising to her cheeks would be interpreted as sunburn, rather than the heated awkwardness she still felt around him. Awkward because they were… together? The question mark she always had to mentally insert after thoughts like that was troubling. Not enough that she felt the need to start hurling questions at him about where they stood with each other, but still very much a sticking point in her mind. No, if she was truly to be with Abelas without any question marks lurking around he would need to choose to come to her. His world was already more bizarre than she could even begin to understand; “togetherness” would need to happen because he truly wanted to make it so.

That did not, however, mean that she couldn’t enjoy the view as Abelas shrugged out of his heavy cloak in the sweltering heat. The armor stayed on, but it still gave her the opportunity to study the tight fit of the shining, shimmering metal to his broad shoulders and the sculpted, glittering contours of his thighs…

“Inquisitor,” Cassandra called and Shiral jumped.  She walked over to where the Seeker stood, looking pained. "We found... evidence of a large creature living nearby. It seems we are indeed in the correct place."

"Evidence?" Shiral asked.

"There is... excrement. A large pile of it by the valley wall."

That was promising. Gross, but promising. 

"Any foot prints?"

"None that the sand left around,” Varric added as he sidled up to join their huddle. 

A strange "MOOOOOOOOK" echoed across the dunes and a hulking shape appeared on the horizon, rapidly growing larger, as it raced directly towards where Abelas stood with the golden nug statue. Shiral reached for her bow, watching Abelas draw out the sword she had gifted him weeks ago. She wished she could move closer, but archery was better at range, and if this animal was dangerous she wanted to take it down quickly. 

The animal became clearer as is slowed ten meters out from Abelas and Shiral finally saw what mythical creature they had traveled all this way to find. 

It was a nug. 

A big one.

“Seeker, you’d better pinch me. I think I’m having a heat stroke,” Varric whispered, nudging Cassandra with his elbow. She jumped and frowned down at him before glancing back up at the bulky animal. 

“I… if you are hallucinating, then I am there with you.”

Shiral let out a laugh and watched as the nug… was it a nug? Advanced on the brightly shining lure of the stature. Abelas slowly backed away, letting the… nuggalope - she was going to call it a nuggalope - have a clear path to its golden, miniature likeness. 

“MOOOK” It bellowed again as it drew to a stop and nudged the glittering metal with its nose. Shiral jogged over to stand next to Abelas, keeping an eye on the big, goofy creature as it carefully sniffed at the gold. It opened its mouth wide and clamped down on the ears of the statue, tail wagging like an overgrown mabari. Shiral expected to hear a ring of teeth on metal, but instead loud slurping noises rolled out across the distance from the two nugs and an undignified snort came from the Elvhen man standing at her side. 

Disbelieving, she slanted a look over at him and Abelas quickly slid his apathetic expression back into place, but his eyes stayed mildly alarmed that he had made such a noise. 

He folded his arms and remarked, “The… larger one appears to have taken a liking to your gift as well.”

Shiral grinned up at him as the slurping sounds of continued. 

“That it does.”

The clouds shifted again, covering the sunbeam aimed at the nug, but directing new light down on where Shiral and Abelas stood watching the nuggalope wag happily as it sucked on the statue. 

The nuggalope stilled, stopping its slurping and wagging. Even from across the distance Shiral could see its eyes slide up to where she stood with Abelas and his sun-dappled sentinel armor. The nuggalope’s pupils dilated and its tongue lolled out of its mouth. 

“MOOOOOOOOOOOOOK!” It bellowed as it charged straight for them. 

Shiral grabbed Abelas’ arm and yanked him aside as the nuggalope went sailing past. It skidded in the sand as it tried to corner, sending up a huge spray as it about-faced. As silly as it seemed, she didn’t want to hurt the big, dumb thing. Cole’s face, crumpled down in disappointment popped into her mind’s eye as the nuggalope went flying past again. 

“Don’t hurt it!” Shiral shouted as she ran to the side.

She only got uproarious laughter in reply. Apparently Varric and Cassandra hadn’t needed to hear her instructions to recognize that the nuggalope wasn’t a threat. 

This wasn’t good. She needed a better plan than playing tag with the nuggalope until it was too tired to run at them. 

“Abelas!” She called, as another spray of sand went up from the behemoth rocketing past. “Distract it!”

“Is that not what I am already accomplishing?” He shouted back. 

Right. Yes. She quickly clicked her bow onto the harness on her back and studied the nuggalope’s path, following its movement so that when it tried to slow its momentum and changed directions again, she would be ready. 

Her chance came as Abelas dove to the left and the nuggalope swung its head around and dug its feet into the ground to try to stop. Shiral leapt and managed to scrabble up onto the nuggalope’s back, riding it like she rode all of her mounts… only this one did not have any reins for her to hold onto. That quickly became a problem as it reared back, “MOOOOK”ing its displeasure.

 Shiral lunged forward before it could throw her off and grabbed at its curling horns, holding on for dear life. 

“Shiral!” Abelas yelled, as the the nuggalope fell back down onto four feet.

“I’m fine! Take-“

“MOOOK”

“Off!”

“MOOOOOOK”

“YOUR ARMOR!” She managed to shout out between the alarmed mooooks as the the nuggalope stomped in circles trying to throw her off its back. 

The nuggalope turned back around and she saw Abelas moving away, tossing off a gauntlet. The shining metal flying through the air caught the nuggalope’s attention and, seeming to forget about the annoying elf hanging onto its horns, it took off again. 

Abelas leapt aside, flinging off a pauldron as he went. Shiral’s grip slipped as the nuggalope lurched to a halt and spun around. With a screech, she flew off, landing hard several feet away. 

Through the haze of stars dancing before her eyes she saw Abelas freeze, worry cracking through his grim mask at the sight of her on the ground. 

That was when the nuggalope seized its chance. It… pounced, though the word seemed out of place for animal with so much bulk, knocking Abelas flat on his back. Dust rose up all around as he hit the ground and Shiral could see nothing.

“Abelas!” Shiral cried, struggling to her feet and running over to the settling cloud of dust. 

And there they were, Abelas on the ground with the nuggalope standing on top of him with one heavy leg pinning him down. With a happy “MOOOOK”, tail flipping side to side, its wide tongue flicked out and licked all the way from Abelas’ breastplate to the top of his head. A gruesome trail of slime was left in its wake. Abelas struggled underneath the beast as it sniffed experimentally at his hair, but it was no good - he couldn’t even budge the huge thing. 

“A little assistance,” he wheezed, but Shiral had already lost it, doubling over with laughter. She leaned up against the side of the nuggalope, laughing even harder as its weird, nuggy lips found the end of Abelas’ braid and started chewing. 

“Inquisitor, please.” 

Varric strode over to Shiral’s side, wiping a tear from his eye as the nuggalope happily sucked and slurped away. “I’m writing this. You know I’m writing this. Maybe I’ll put something about nugs-”

“Nuggalopes,” Shiral amended between laughs.

“Nuggalopes, in the next Swords and Shields.”

“This is not a helpful-” Abelas gasped, air driven from his chest as the nuggalope leaned down and gummed at his armored shoulder “-discussion.”

Cassandra walked up too.

“No spoilers,” she snapped at Varric. Turning to Shiral she said, “I suggest you break the suction before trying to remove the creature. Perhaps you might distract it with some of your mines, Varric?”

“I wouldn’t want to hurt the big guy on accident. Or scare him into trampling our old friend here.”

Shiral’s gut ached from laughing at the ridiculous tableau before her, but she fought to regain control of herself. 

“I’ve got an idea,” she said, running over to her pack and quickly rummaging through it for more rope and the little bronze Andraste statuette she had found earlier in the day. Andraste to the rescue. Blessed be. Jogging back, she tied the rope to the end of her bow and hung the statuette from it. 

The hulking, happy nuggalope seemed quite content standing there, huge mouth slurping at Abelas’ chest plate. Carefully, patting its back and speaking reassuring words, Shiral climbed up on top of it again. This time the nug didn’t try to buck her off, too distracted by its new, shiny Elvhen toy. She had fervently hoped that would be the case. Shiral held her bow awkwardly to the side of the nuggalope’s head, trying her best to catch its attention. 

The shiny saint waved into a sunbeam and the nuggalope’s head rose, a soft “MOOooook” rumbling deep in its chest. Shiral held her lure just out of its reach and the nuggalope was forced to step off of Abelas, leaving him lying in a puddle of stinking nuggalope drool. 

Shiral let the figurine swing into reach of the nuggalope’s mouth. It started doing the nug equivalent of purring as it lodged the miniature statue firmly between its lips.

“Inquisitor, perhaps you should dismount. It seems at peace enough for the moment, but I am not certain it will remain so,” Cassandra warned, as she helped Abelas to his feet.

“After all this work, you think I’m _not_ going to properly ride this thing?” Shiral asked with a grin. She looked over to where Abelas was frowning at the trails of slime sliding down his armor. “Are you alright?” She asked.

He grimaced at her, giving a small nod as he swiped at one particularly sand-filled gobbet dripping down his left shoulder. 

She held out a hand to him.

“If you ride with me, you’ll stay out of this thing’s sight and we can get to the camp faster.”

Abelas eyed the nuggalope warily, but took her proffered hand and swung himself up behind her. Shiral tentatively squeezed the nuggalope’s sides with her heels and to her utter delight, it lumbered forward at a respectable pace. Steering with the horns instead of reins would be interesting, but she was none too worried. 

Once they were out of eyesight of Cassandra and Varric, Abelas’ hands, which had been placed lightly on either side of her waist snaked around her fully, drawing her back snuggly against his chest. 

He leaned forward and whispered, “Perhaps your gift does have at least one redeeming quality.”

“Oh?”

His lips trailed along the side of her ear and Shiral shivered, but… her nose wrinkled at the stench coming from the nuggy drool. 

“Abelas.”

His mouth dipped to her neck as he “hmmmed?” into the crook of her neck.

“Before anything else… you _really_ need a bath.”

He let out a bark of laughter as they let the nuggalope carry them over the sandy dunes back to the camp and hopefully to some much needed alone time. Perhaps they’d take that bath together. Shiral smiled to herself as she relaxed her grip on the horns. Yes, it was indeed a good gift. She would have to buy Varric a drink the next time they were back at Skyhold. 

**Author's Note:**

> Abelas is the shiniest elf in all the lands.


End file.
